Wednesday, 30 March 2011

So here's BattleScribe 1.10b. Quite a few changes here, especially under the bonnet. This release contains a selection of front end updates and fixes, and lays the foundations for the upcoming Android version of BattleScribe.

What's in this release then?

Changed the XML Java libraries to Simple XML as discussed in this post. This is mainly to support the upcoming Android version of BattleScribe.

Improved performance on the New Roster dialogue when you have large numbers of data files.

Import Data Files function added so you can get data files into BattleScribe without rummaging through folders and copy/pasting (if you prefer).

Import function will accept zipped data files with extension ".cat.zip" or ".gst.zip" as well as the normal .cat and .gst files.

Categories with no entries are no longer shown in the "Available Entries" tree in Roster Editor. They also do not generate error messages.

Categories with no entries selected are no longer shown in the "Current Selections" tree in Roster Editor for a cleaner view.

Slight improvements to roster layout when you view/print it.

Improved error dialog.

Buttons in the View Roster dialogue moved to a toolbar, bringing it more in line with the main Roster Editor window.

Added "Copy Text" button to the View Roster dialog, allowing you to just copy a simple text version of the roster (without all the HTML gubbins).

Any formatting (tabs and new lines) in the description of a rule in Catalogue Editor are now preserved when viewing/printing the roster.

Fixed a nasty bug where you could end up overwriting a previously saved game system file in Game System Editor.

Fixed a bug where errors were incorrectly reported for some collective selections ("xxx can have at most -5pts from yyy...").

And most importantly, "Buy me A Beer" donation button added to the toolbar in Roster Editor - because beer fuels development!

Monday, 28 March 2011

I've spent quite a bit of time the last month or so on a certain "secret" BattleScribe project. The time is almost here for it to be released to the world, so here's a quick screenshot of what's to come. Enjoy...

Saturday, 26 March 2011

The first pre-release of BattleScribe v1.10b is now available. Release notes and download link can be found in this forum post. There have been several changes to the way BattleScribe reads and writes your files, so use this at your own risk (although it will back up files before changing them).

If you are the adventurous type, feel free to download and have a play. If you notice anything strange, please let me know on the forum post and I'll get right on fixing it. I'll update the post with an amended pre-release. Once it's been out a day or so with no issues, it will be released properly on the BattleScribe site.

Thursday, 10 March 2011

First up, a progress update on BattleScribe 1.10b. The changes in this release are mostly under the bonnet. I've changed the XML library I'm using to Simple XML, which means a change to the file format. As before, your data files and rosters will be automatically upgraded to the new format. This really has no visible effect in day-to-day usage, though it has been a big job to do.

So why bother? Firstly, I am able to re-organise some of the code, making it easier for me to maintain in future. Second, the new XML format is more "industry standard," making it easier to read. Finally, it paves the way for an upcoming project I have in the works. You'll have to wait and see what it is, but I think you'll like it...

There are also a couple of bug fixes and new features coming up. Take a look at the three tasks marked as "started" on the UserVoice page.

As before, I'll post a pre-release version up in the forum for the brave of heart to have a go with before the final release. This should help make sure there are no glaring problems.